For one senior shelter dog and the Navy veteran who adopted him, the name “Buddy” says it all.
James served in the United States Navy during the Vietnam War as a hull technician, a combination of firefighter and welder. Currently on disability retirement, he’s a proud lifetime member of the Disabled American Veterans, the American Legion and the Veterans of Foreign Wars.
The simple pleasures, plus one
The Vietnam veteran enjoys the simple pleasures in life, like relaxing in front of the television to watch his favorite shows, such as NCIS and The Big Bang Theory, as well as movies. But … [Read more...]

It's anchors away for a Navy husband-and-wife team and their rescued pitbull, Bowser.
Wes is a public affairs officer with the Navy reserves and his wife, Victoria - who goes by Vic - a Navy nurse. Shortly after celebrating their first wedding anniversary and with the prospect of children many years down the road, the couple decided to adopt a dog because they "wanted a companion to love and to love us back."
From Texas to Virginia, with love
Both Wes and Vic came from Texas, but that's about the only similarity in their nascent military careers. Wes was commissioned from the University … [Read more...]

The recent arrest of Interpol fugitive Luka Magnotta served as a rude reminder that animal cruelty is not a crime to be taken lightly. Magnotta was arrested in Germany for murdering, mutilating and cannibalizing a young man in Montreal, Canada. Magnotta recorded video of the murder, then posted it on the Internet.
For two years prior, animal activists had been searching for a young man who had posted videos of himself online, torturing and killing cats. Montreal law enforcement has since identified the animal abuser as Magnotta.
The link between animal cruelty and violent crime
Analyses by … [Read more...]

For one Marine veteran, a scrappy little puppy mill dog destined for death was worth saving – and worth her weight in gold.
Chloe, a seven year-old Chihuahua, has truly been through the mill. The two-pound dog was abandoned after doing time in a puppy mill, her reproductive organs over used, worn out and infected. She was a pitiful sight when Karen, a U.S. Marine veteran, noticed the rag-tag dog at the Lake City Columbia County Humane Society in Lake City, Florida.
“She was so timid and fragile; she looked scared to death,” recalls Karen, who was stationed at Marine Corps Base Quantico in … [Read more...]

Sometimes all it takes is a rescued dog to ease the invisible, but heavy burden carried by our combat veterans. This is one such story from Jason, a dual Army and Marine veteran, and how his rescued dog changed his life for the better.
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From battlefield to homefront
I have been a dog lover all of my life.
I remember almost every dog that ever followed me home from my paper route as a kid to the brave K-9 Marines I crossed paths with in Afghanistan. I currently live in Utah and do marketing for a large physician pain practice. I do have to say: I am a bit of a private person and hope … [Read more...]

The military working dog has long been part of America's fighting forces, though recent events have brought renewed public attention to these highly trained canines.
This month marks the one year anniversary of SEAL Team Six’s raid on Osama bin Laden’s compound in Pakistan. Perhaps no single member of the elite commando team has generated more fascination than Cairo, a military working dog who accompanied the SEALs on this mission.
A proud legacy of service
For nearly a century, America’s military has put canines to work. During World War I, German and France trained an estimated 50,000 … [Read more...]

For one veteran coping with PTSD and depression, his saving grace came in the form of a one-eyed dog who had been previously abused. This is his story, in his own words.
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My name is Matthew Goschke; I'm born and raised in Rochester, New York. I've lived here my whole life besides my experiences with the military. I currently run security for the City of Rochester, loss prevention for The Home Depot and am pursuing my paramedic degree. After my military service I found integrating back into civilian life a lot more difficult then I had anticipated.
Light at the end of a "very dark" … [Read more...]

Deployment can be tough on Navy and other military families, but a companion pet can make for smoother sailing. This is the experience of one Pets for Patriots adopter who decided to adopt a shelter dog to give his wife comfort when he deploys out to sea.
Tyler is a 23 year-old active duty member of the United States Navy. He joined the service six years ago and has been stationed in San Diego on the USS Peleliu LHA-5, an amphibious assault ship. He served three deployments, one humanitarian mission and two West Pacific missions, earning a Navy Achievement Medal during his second … [Read more...]

An adult dog reminds one Marine of his boyhood, and a family tradition is reborn with the help of Pets for Patriots.
“I always had a dog growing up,” says Wesley, a Marine Reservist living in upstate New York. “When I returned home from deployment and got married, I decided it was time to restart that tradition.” He and his wife, Paige, hope to have kids one day. Wesley believes it’s important for his children to have the same experience that he had growing up by having pets around the house.
Wesley served six years with the U.S. Marine Corps. Stationed in Syracuse, New York, he was … [Read more...]

Animal cruelty is not only abhorrent in its own right, but is often tied to other offenses, including violence against adults and children.
Black’ s Law Dictionary defines cruelty to animals as: “The infliction of physical pain, suffering, or death upon an animal, when not necessary for purposes of training or discipline or (in the case of death) to procure food or to release the animal from incurable suffering, but done wantonly, for mere sport, for the indulgence of a cruel and vindictive temper, or with reckless indifference to its pain.”
Save animals from needless suffering by … [Read more...]